Economy

Shop prices down 1.9% in September

Shop prices were down 1.9% in September compared with the same time last year, down from the 1.4% decline in August. This is according to the latest British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Nielsen Shop Price Index which found that non-food deflation accelerated further to 2.9%, from 2.4% in August. On…

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CBI: September retail sales grew faster than expected

Sales and orders grew at a stronger rate than had been expected in the year to September with the pace of growth expected to continue into October. This is according to the Confederation of British Industry’s (CBI) latest Distributive Trades Survey. The survey of 119 firms showed that sales volumes…

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Ernie Blom: ‘Trade can feel positive’ ahead of holiday season

World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) president Ernie Blom believes the global diamond trade “can be positive” ahead of the upcoming holiday sales. Blom said that initial indications from the September Hong Kong Gems and Jewellery Fair were that it had been “solid”. Meanwhile, price cuts by De Beers and…

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Hallmarking dips 12.4% in August

Hallmarking figures have dipped for the second consecutive month, down 12.4% in August compared with the same period the previous year. Platinum and palladium enjoyed 3.1% and 14.9% rises respectively, but the much larger categories of gold and silver dropped 8.5% and 17% respectively. In July, the total number of…

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Lacklustre August as retail footfall drops again

Footfall in August was 1.6% lower than a year ago, down from the 1.1% fall in July, according to the latest figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Springboard. This was below the three-month average of -1.4%. Both high streets and shopping centres reported a decline, falling 2.3% and 2.8%…

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Vacancy rates improve but long-term vacancy increases

Shop vacancy rates have improved in the first half of 2015 but the number of long-term vacant shops has increased by 24.4%.  This is according to new figures from the Local Data Company (LDC) which found that the retail and leisure vacancy in the UK fell from 11.9% in the…

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Retail sales jump 4.2%

Retail sales grew for the 28th consecutive month in July, increasing by 4.2% compared with the same month last year, according to official data released today. This was the longest period of sustained year-on-year growth since May 2008, when there were 31 periods of growth, the Office for National Statistics…

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UK inflation rate rises to 0.1% in July

The UK inflation rate has crept up from the zero-mark to 0.1% in July, according to the Consumer Prices Index measurement.  A smaller fall in clothing prices during the month compared with the same time last year was the main contributor to the rise in inflation, the Office for National…

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Footfall down 1.1% across the UK in July

Total UK retail footfall in July was 1.1% lower than the same time last year, though this still represented a marginal improvement on the 1.5% fall in June. Data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Springboard Footfall and Vacancies Monitor showed footfall on the high street and in shopping…

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Hallmarking slumps 10.5% in July

The total number of hallmarked items fell 10.5% in July, a decrease of 91,949 articles when compared with July 2014. This is according to data released today by the UK’s four assay offices, and compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office, which found that during the month there was a total…

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